Freshly Picked: Weekly Link Roundup Aug 19, 2016

Newsy and Resourceful

Sketchdeck: What Analyzing 50 Brand Guides Taught Us About Building a Lasting Company
“We analyzed the brand guides of 50 different companies, from startups just making a name for themselves like Venmo, to established behemoths like Facebook and Google. This is what we learned.” (read)

Contently: Why Calculating Your Freelance Rate Is So Important—and How to Do It
“When it comes to finding information on the perfect hourly rate, most writers are stumped. Just like there’s no easy job database of high-paying jobs for freelancer writers, there is no official guide to setting your rates.” (read & download ebook)

Appcues: Customer Retention: 50 Tools to Build the Perfect Customer Experience
“Everyone knows how crucial retention is, which is why there’s a million companies out there promising you that their tool is the key to keeping your customers successful and happy. With such an overwhelming number of options, knowing which ones to pick is terrifying. ” (read)

WebsiteSetup: How to Create a Blog
“I often feel bad making clients pay me to setup a new blog for them.It’s not because I don’t want to help. It’s because I feel guilty… setting a blog is just too simple. Anyone can (and should) do it.” (read)

Thought-Provoking

The Verge: How Silicon Valley helps spread the same sterile aesthetic across the world
“Digital platforms like Foursquare are producing “a harmonization of tastes” across the world, Schwarzmann says. “It creates you going to the same place all over again.”” (read)

99U: Brainstorm Questions, Not Solutions
“when we jump in to solve the problem, we are assuming that we even know what the problem is. But is solving for the sake of solving the right thing to do at the onset of a project?” (read)

Bookwitty: Reading lists are the new mixtapes
“In a world of TinyLetter, aggregation sites, and daily digests, we’re lucky enough to be living in the golden age of reading lists.” (read)